Articles for the Organization "National Alliance to End Homelessness"

Vital Mission: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans

2007-12-12T02:57:51

Far too many veterans are homeless in America. Homeless veterans can be found in every state across the country and live in rural, suburban, and urban communities. Many have lived on the streets for years, while others live on the edge of homelessness, struggling to pay their rent. We analyzed data from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Census Bureau to examine homelessness and severe housing cost burden among veterans.

Explainer: Why Is Homelessness an Important Issue?

2008-07-11T03:43:15

This document provides statistics on the prevalence of homelessness and describes what is being done local and nationally to end homelessness. (Authors)

Fact Checker: Rural Homelessness

2008-07-11T03:49:02

The number of people who experience rural homelessness is unknown, but the last national count of homeless people found that 9 percent live in rural areas. The same structural factors that contribute to urban homelessness—lack of affordable housing and inadequate income—also lead to rural homelessness. One of the most important strategies in ending rural homelessness is prevention. (Authors)

Fact Checker: Affordable Housing Shortage

2008-01-10T04:41:42

As incomes fail to keep pace with housing costs, Americans face complicated choices: desperately trying to put food on the table, pay for quality healthcare, educate their children, and keep a roof over their head. Those that cannot manage that balancing act become homeless or live on the periphery. (NAEH)

Fact Sheets for Students

2008-07-11T03:55:22

The Fact Sheets for Students are materials designed for school aged children to educate them about the causes and solutions to homelessness and provide opportunities for the young people to become a part of the solution. (Authors)

Fact Checker: Youth Homelessness

2007-06-24T12:39:24

Youth Homelessness is disturbingly common. Although the prevalence of youth homelessness is difficult to measure, researchers estimate that about 5-7.7 percent of youth experience homelessness each year. The same factors that contribute to adult homelessness, such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, low education levels unemployment, mental health and substance abuse, can lead to homelessness among youth. Beyond those factors, youth homelessness is largely a reflection of family breakdown. (NAEH)

Fact Checker: Veterans and Homelessness

2007-12-12T04:44:19

Counting the number of homeless veterans and determining the causes of homelessness for veterans are difficult tasks. This fact sheet examines these questions and programs and policies in place to assist homeless veterans. (NAEH)

Fact Checker: Family Homelessness

2009-03-31T04:48:59

Every year 600,000 families with 1.35 million children experience homelessness in the United States, making up about 50 percent of the homeless population over the course of the year. This fact sheet examines the causes and demographics of family homelessness and the programs and policies that are making progress in ending family homelessness. (Authors)

Fact Checker: Chronic Homelessness

2008-07-11T03:51:08

Although chronic homelessness represents a small share of the overall homeless population, chronically homeless people use up more than 50 percent of the services. The most successful model for housing people who experience chronic homelessness is permanent supportive housing using a Housing First approach. (Authors)

What is a Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness?

2007-10-03T09:29:32

In 2000, the National Alliance to End Homelessness released "A Plan, Not a Dream: How to End Homelessness in Ten Years." Drawing on research and innovative programs from around the country, the plan outlined key strategies in addressing the issue locally, which cumulatively can address the issue nationally. Since the release of this blueprint, over 300 communities have undertaken efforts to end homelessness and over 180 communities have completed plans to end homelessness. (NAEH)

Demographics of Homelessness Series: The Rising Elderly Population

2010-05-06T01:30:49

This paper provides an assessment of the recent and projected changes in homelessness among the elderly and assesses the ability of public affordable housing programs to handle the projected growth in elderly persons at-risk of housing instability and homelessness. (authors)

A Plan, Not a Dream: How to End Homelessness in 10 Years

2007-10-11T10:36:30

The Board of Directors of the National Alliance to End Homelessness believes that, in fact, ending homelessness is well within the nation's grasp. We can reverse the incentives in mainstream systems so that rather than causing homelessness, they are preventing it. And we can make the homeless assistance system more outcome-driven by tailoring solution-oriented approaches more directly to the needs of the various sub-populations of the homeless population. In this way, homelessness can be ended within ten years. (NAEH)

A New Vision: What is in Community Plans to End Homelessness?

2007-08-20T01:32:21

The problem of homelessness, many say, is an unsolvable problem. Communities across the country have struggled with getting homeless people off the street by building shelters, transitional housing, and soup kitchens. Although these strategies help address the immediate needs of our nation’s homeless people by providing food and temporary shelter, they have not been successful in decreasing homelessness, leaving communities frustrated and hopeless. In 2000, the National Alliance to End Homelessness announced A Plan, Not a Dream: How to End Homelessness in Ten Years. Drawing on research and innovative programs from around the country, the plan outlined a new vision to address the problem of homelessness. This vision included strategies to end the problem by providing affordable housing and needed services, and, just as important, by preventing homelessness from occurring in the first place. Since that time, 220 communities have undertaken efforts to end homelessness and 90 communities have completed plans to end homelessness. These plans echo key strategies outlined in the Alliance’s plan and represent a critical, collective effort to end homelessness nationwide. This report is the first nationwide examination of local plans to end homelessness. (Authors)

Fundamental Issues to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness, National Alliance to End Homelessness Issue Brief

2007-08-22T03:29:55

This issue brief reviews the key issues surrounding youth homelessness, including causes and characteristics of homeless youth. It also contains an introductory explanation of the youth housing continuum, a development model for stable and supportive housing for young adults and policy implications regarding youth homelessness. The brief also features the Ten Essentials Your Community Needs to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness, designed by the National Partnership to End Youth Homelessness. (NAEH)

National Recommended Best Practices for Serving LGBT Homeless Youth

2009-04-23T09:10:04

This policy brief by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Lambda Legal, the National Network for Youth, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights provides a brief overview of homelessness among LBGT youth. It makes recommendations about improving practice, improving organizational culture, and improving residential services. (Authors)

Policy Guide

2008-05-27T11:06:09

The National Alliance to End Homelessness believes that homelessness is a problem with a solution, and changes in federal policies and resources will be necessary to implement that solution. These changes should be outcome focused, research-based, and targeted. While ambitious, they should be realistic, framed by an understanding of the budget and programmatic environment. This policy guide applies the principles set forth in the Ten Year Plan to the current federal budget and legislation before Congress. Each year, Congress and the Administration work together to pass appropriations for federal programs, including many that help poor and homeless people. They also work to initiate or reform housing, health, income, and other programs and to shape the economic environment through tax policy and other regulations. This guide is designed to share information with our members and conference attendees about those measures and their impact on people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. (NAEH)

2008 Policy Guide

2009-03-31T04:55:05

This policy guide provides information about the most important federal programs, policies, and legislation affecting homelessness. Key housing and homelessness topics are covered including HUD's McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs, Section 8 housing choice vouchers, and housing programs dedicated to people with HIV/AIDS, the elderly, and people with disabilities. (Authors)

2012 Policy Guide

2009-09-04T09:42:45

A National Approach to Meeting the Needs of LGBTQ Homeless Youth

2009-04-23T09:16:09

This two-page fact sheet provides an overview of the prevalence and experience of LGBTQ youth, causal factors, and risks to LGBTQ youth while homeless. It also highlights a reform agenda to end homelessness for LGBTQ youth and makes best practices recommendations for youth-serving professionals, case workers, and advocates, for administrators and supervisors, and for residential services. (Authors)

Back on Track: Supporting Youth Reentry from Out-of-Home Placement to the Community

2009-12-30T09:40:26

This issue brief is jointly published by members of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition to raise awareness around reentry services nationally. It outlines the concept of reentry services in theory and practice, offers a review of federal policy previously enacted to support reentry, suggests opportunities for improvements in public policy, and reviews promising initiatives.

Chronic Homelessness

2006-12-11T02:34:10

The Alliance released an updated brief on chronic homelessness, describing its characteristics, causes, and solutions. The brief summarizes the interaction between emergency shelters, health care systems, and criminal justice and chronic homelessness. It also describes the benefits and cost effectiveness of permanent supportive housing and the success that many communities have achieved. (Authors)

Community Snapshot: Chicago

2009-04-01T09:28:41

Homelessness in Chicago decreased 12 percent from 6,715 in 2005 to 5,922 in 2007. (Authors)

Community Snapshot: Columbus

2009-04-01T09:44:19

Family homelessness in Columbus decreased 46 percent from 1,297 families in 1997 to 696 families in 2004. (Authors)

Community Snapshot: Denver

2009-03-31T05:00:03

Homelessness in Denver decreased 13 percent from 4,444 in 2005 to 3,954 in 2007. Chronic homelessness decreased 36 percent from 942 in 2005 to 602 in 2007. (Authors)

Community Snapshot: Hennepin County, MN

2009-04-01T09:56:36

From 2000 to 2004, family homelessness in Hennepin County declined by 43 percent. (Authors)

Community Snapshot: Norfolk

2009-04-01T09:59:38

Between 2006 and 2008 homelessness in Norfolk, VA decreased by 25 percent, from 665 to 502. Additionally, chronic homelessness decreased by almost 40 percent, from 126 to 78, in the same time period. Norfolk’s count of unsheltered homeless people revealed a significant decrease from 196 in 2006 to only 61 in 2008, representing a 69 percent decline. (Authors)

Community Snapshot: Portland, Oregon

2007-07-06T10:36:54

The Alliance has released Community Snapshot: Portland, Oregon. The community snapshot series highlights strategies, programs, and innovations in communities that have succeeded in decreasing homelessness. In Portland, through the implementation of programs that focus on discharge planning, outreach, prevention, and permanent housing, homelessness decreased by 13 percent from 5,103 in 2005 to 4,456 in 2007. (Authors)

Community Snapshot: Westchester County, NY

2009-03-31T04:52:20

Family homelessness decreased 57 percent—from 690 families in 2002 to 297 families in 2006 in Westchester County. (Authors)

Dedicated Revenue: State and Local Housing Trust Funds

2007-08-17T11:25:01

Housing Trust Funds exist in all but a few states across the country and can be an important resource for developing affordable housing. Learn how Housing Trust Funds work, what they typically fund, who gets the money, how to tap the Trust Fund in your state, and how to ensure that the Trust Fund targets funds to the lowest income individuals and those that are currently homeless. (NAEH))

Economy Bytes: Working Poor People in the United States

2010-12-22T08:27:27

In the second segment of the Economy Bytes series, we explore characteristics of the “working poor” population in the United States. While most working poor people will not become homeless, they are much more likely than the general working population to experience and be affected by risk factors associated with homelessness, including sudden and significant loss of income, severe housing cost burden, and doubled up living arrangements. (Authors)

Ending Homelessness for Families: The Evidence for Affordable Housing

2009-09-04T10:15:18

This joint paper by the Alliance and Enterprise Community Partners demonstrates the importance of affordable housing in ending homelessness for families. (Authors)

Explainer: How Much Does the Federal Government Spend on Homelessness?

2009-04-01T10:11:47

Answering the question about how much the federal government spends on homelessness should be as simple as summing the total expenditures for homeless assistance programs. Homeless programs, however, do not fit neatly into one federal agency; instead they are spread across several, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Education (ED), and the Department of Labor (DOL). (Authors)

Explainer: What is a Continuum of Care?

2009-04-01T10:04:45

This resource that details the necessary parts of a Continuum of Care (CoC) and how to plan a CoC. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development began to require communities to submit a single application for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants in 1995. In 2006, there were 476 CoCs. (Authors)

Exploring Racism's Impact on Youth Homelessness in America

2007-08-22T02:38:16

Research reveals troubling over-representation of African Americans and American Indians among homeless youth. Providers are interested in finding ways to appropriately serve youth of color, from a cultural and youth development perspective, and are increasingly aware of the over-representation of American Indian and African American youth in programs. This meeting included a broad discussion on race and youth homelessness to review current data and research and explore the link between child welfare systems and juvenile justice systems and youth homelessness. (NAEH)

Fact Sheet: Point-in-Time Counts

2010-11-11T01:43:42

This document provides information about what a point-in-time counts is and how the information collected informs policy and the direction of services.

Financing Employment Services for Homeless People Training Materials

2009-02-13T12:04:43

Increasingly, homeless assistance providers need to find creative ways to finance employment services for homeless people and other disadvantaged jobseekers. This PowerPoint slide presentation, with detailed notes, provides in-depth information about the types of Federal, State, local, and private funding available for employment and training services. Program examples are included to illustrate innovative ways to finance these services. A set of accompanying handouts provides additional information on specific topics or programs. (Authors)

Geography of Homelessness

2010-03-17T09:53:38

This report includes all of the previous issues in the Geography of Homelessness series and features a new section on the distribution of emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing beds across the country. This new section examines the composition of the bed inventory for each of the five geographic categories (Rural to Urban) to determine if differences exist among them. (Authors)

Geography of Homelessness, Part 1: Defining the Spectrum

2009-12-30T10:43:08

This serves as the first in a series of briefs examining the geographic distribution of the homeless population in the United States and provides some insight into the extent to which homelessness exists in rural and urban areas. (Authors)

Geography of Homelessness, Part 2: Prevalence of Homelessness

2009-12-30T10:50:20

This is the second in a series of briefs examining the geographic distribution of the population experiencing homelessness and the homeless assistance system in the United States. It evaluates how rates of homelessness in rural areas compare to rates in urban areas. (Authors)

Geography of Homelessness, Part 3: Subpopulations by Geographic Type

2009-12-30T10:58:10

This is the third in a series of briefs examining the geographic distribution of the population experiencing homelessness and the homeless assistance system in the United States. It examines the geographic distributions of homeless subpopulations and subgroups. (Authors)

Homelessness Prevention: Creating Programs that Work

2009-09-04T10:01:09

This guide, developed by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, provides a foundation for developing homelessness prevention programs based on experience from the field.

Housing First for Families: Research To Support the Development of a Housing First for Families Training Curriculum

2007-04-16T10:05:55

This report shares initial findings with the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) on the development of the Housing First training curriculum and materials. Portions of this report will be augmented and re-packaged to share with organizations that are interested in implementing Housing First and others that are interested in supporting their efforts. This report is based on interviews with providers who are using a Housing First approach and interviews with individuals who are likely candidates to implement a Housing First-type program in the near future. The providers contacted for this research were identified and selected by NAEH staff for one of several reasons: they responded to a call for information from NAEH; were involved with an organization that NAEH wanted more information about; and/or had requested information from NAEH. In addition to conducting interviews, LFA reviewed program materials, websites, and evaluation reports from additional organizations that operate Housing First programs. (Authors)

Housing for Homeless Youth

2009-04-01T10:15:14

When runaways and homeless youth cannot be reunited with their families, the creation of housing models that also address the service needs of youth is one solution to ending youth homelessness. The goal of this brief is to outline a spectrum of youth housing models that connect affordable housing, self-sufficiency services, and positive youth development approaches. This brief examines youth housing combined with positive youth development services and highlights four housing models and programs that demonstrate promise in housing for older adolescents and young adults. (Authors)

Housing Vouchers are Critical for Ending Family Homelessness

2009-03-31T04:45:02

Housing vouchers are successful in helping families exit homelessness and can protect poor families from becoming homeless. This paper summarizes those research findings and draws out their implications for housing policymakers. (Authors)

Including Youth in Your Community's Point-in-Time Count, Part I

2010-11-11T01:34:56

This webinar is the first in a series providing strategies and tips for including youth in your community's HUD-mandated January 2011 point-in-time count. This webinar is designed for both all Continuum of Care and youth-specific providers in communities who have either never made a targeted effort to count youth or who wish to improve the accuracy of their count in January 2011. (Authors)

Integrating Cultural Competence into Everyday Practices

2008-07-22T12:53:12

It is critical that homeless service providers—who must address a wide array of cultural differences—offer culturally competent services which value individual uniqueness and demonstrate the capacity to deliver services in line with the beliefs, values, and practices of those served. In this interactive workshop, participants learned about the importance of cultural competence and acquire the skills necessary to apply that understanding to their work. (NAEH)

National Alliance to End Homelessness Sourcebook on Ending family Homelessness: Problems and Solutions

2008-01-10T02:10:56

This sourcebook provides resources to assist communities in ending family homelessness.

National Conference On Ending Family Homelessness: A Selection of Materials Presented

2007-08-21T03:28:57

The following presentations are available on the Web site: •Keynote Address by Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness •"Family Homelessness: Where to From Here?" A presentation of research by Dr. Dennis Culhane, University of Pennsylvania Professor of Social Welfare Policy, originally delivered as part of his keynote address •"Housing Homeless Families: What Role for Services?" A presentation by Dr. Mary Beth Shinn of New York University's Department of Psychology as part of the workshop, "Research on Family Homelessness," •"The Family Permanent Supportive Housing Initiative: Preliminary Findings Report" Presented by Dr. Martha Burt of the Urban Institute, Washington, DC as part of the workshop, "Research on Family Homelessness” •"Building Effective Plans to End Family Homelessness" and "Franklin County Family System" Presented by Tom Albanese of the Community Shelter Board in Columbus, Ohio as part of the workshop, "Building Effective Plans to End Family Homelessness” •"Homelessness Prevention: Volunteers of America - Kentucky" and "Providing Services to Immigrants: A National Perspective" Presented by Jeremy Rosen of Volunteers of America as part of the workshops, "Homelessness Prevention" and "Services to Immigrants” •"Minimizing the Trauma of Homelessness for Children" Presented by Ted Wenta of the Everett Family YMCA as part of the workshop of the same title (NAEH)

Permanent Housing Solutions for Homeless Veterans

2007-12-12T04:46:32

This audio conference covered the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. Under this program, homeless veterans receive rental assistance through HUD’s Section 8 voucher program, and support services, case management and health care from the VA. The program has proven extremely effective at helping the most severely disabled homeless veterans get off the streets and in to stable housing where their recovery can begin in earnest. There has been no new funding for HUD-VASH in many years, but this year there is strong interest on the part of Congress in expanding funding for the program. The special guest moderator was Cheryl Beversdorf, President and CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. In addition, VA staff and others who run effective HUD-VASH programs at the local level described the benefits of the program. (NAEH)

Promising Strategies to End Family Homelessness

2007-06-24T02:00:08

Family homelessness is more wide spread than you may think, but it is not an unsolvable problem. Across the country hundreds of communities are planning to end homelessness, and a handful of communities and local programs are making progress to end family homelessness. This paper highlights the strategies promising communities are using to accomplish the goal of ending family homelessness. (Authors)

Qualitative Assessment Tool: Community Leaders and Executive Directors Survey

2010-11-11T01:39:06

This version of the survey is designed for leadership-level members in the homelessness system, such as executive directors of provider agencies, political leaders and community leaders. This assessment will ask various questions about your homelessness assistance and your opinions about the system. Your answers will be aggregated with those of other users in your system. Please answer each question on the assessment and take all the time you need to answer accurately, from your perspective. Note that some questions refer to your community, others to your organization, and still others directly to you. Also, note that the survey refers to “consumers” which is used as an all-encompassing and general term to capture the ways in which various organizations may refer to the people they work with and serve, including: clients, service users, program participants, guests, tenants, persons with lived experience, etc. (Authors)

Rapid Re-Housing: Creating Programs that Work

2009-12-01T01:50:51

This guide, created by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, provides information about developing a foundation for a successful Rapid Re-housing Program.

Rural Homeless Initiative of Southeast and Central Ohio: A National Model for Planning to End Rural Homelessness

2009-12-01T01:57:03

This report provides an extensive discussion of the RHISCO Project, the issue of rural homelessness, and the nature of the participating counties, and also highlights the cross cutting findings, promising practices, and challenges and opportunities that emerged from the RHISCO Project. This report is a useful tool for all rural communities looking to develop ten year plans to end homelessness and working to advance better approaches to address the issue. (Authors)

Structuring Your Prevention Efforts

2010-05-25T02:04:56

This online training is designed to introduce some basic concepts necessary to design a prevention program. The training covers outreach strategies, explains the importance of targeting services, offers ideas for assessment and financial assistance plans, and examines program evaluation. (Authors)

Ten Essentials Toolkit

2009-12-01T01:59:10

This Toolkit provides communities with the resources they need to develop plans to end homelessness. (Authors)

Tools to End Homelessness Among Families: Best Practice. Community Care Grant Program

2007-12-02T06:04:45

In response to increasing shelter requests by families, the District of Columbia developed a cost-effective, humane, and innovative response to help those at imminent risk of homelessness: providing substantial resources at the front-end of the homeless services continuum to help families rapidly obtain permanent housing without ever entering a homeless shelter program. The program is a collaborative effort of the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness and federally funded Family Support Centers. The staff of seven community-based Family Support Centers helps families to access housing and offers transitional, intensive case management services to ensure they stabilize in that housing. The Community Partnership provides funds to support the transitional case management and flexible, time-limited resources to help defray the cost of housing. The program provides the services and support families require while diverting many from shelter stays. The Community Care Grant program costs an average of $7,000 per family served and provides up to a year's support. In contrast, the average stay of six months in a family shelter costs $11,439. (NAEH)

Veterans Data Update 2008

2009-12-11T09:56:56

In association with Veterans Day 2009, the National Alliance to End Homelessness released an update to the veterans report: Vital Mission: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans. New data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shows that while the number of homeless veterans seems to have decreased, the need for more proactive intervention and action grows. (Authors)

What Gets Measured, Gets Done: A Toolkit on Performance Measurement for Ending Homelessness

2009-01-26T06:04:53

The National Alliance Web site provides a wealth of information about homelessness as well as the Ten Essentials Toolkit to support communities’ efforts to develop 10-year plans. The toolkit provides an overview of: performance measurement, including how to design and build a system from scratch; data use to manage or change a homeless system; and understanding and implementing system-level performance measurement.